SC.5.E.7.6 Climate Zones

SC.5.E.7.6: Describe characteristics (temperature and precipitation) of different climate zones as they relate to latitude, elevation, and proximity to bodies of water.

Target 1: Observe temperature and precipitation as they relate to latitude, elevation, and proximity to bodies of water.

What are the three major climate zones?

There are many, many kinds of climate zones on Earth. In elementary, we focus on three: polar, temperate, and tropical. A climate zone is a large area of Earth whose weather patterns over a long period of time are similar.

The polar climate zone is found near the Earth’s north pole and south pole. The polar zone is characterized by long, cold winters and short, cool summers.

The tropical zone is found in the belt around Earth’s equator. The tropical zone is characterized by year-round hot temperatures. There are no seasonal changes in the tropical zone.

The third climate zone is the temperate zone. The temperate zone lies between the polar and tropical zones. The temperate zone has four seasons of winter, spring, summer, and fall. Temperatures in winter are cold and snow is common. Summer is warm, with cool spring and fall temperatures. 

Florida lies in the transition between the temperate and tropical climate zones. North Florida has characteristics of the temperate zone: cold winters with some snow. South Florida is in the sub-tropical climate zone, with cool winters and hot summers. Most of Florida’s weather is characterized by the rainy season from May to November, and the dry season from December to April.

Climate zones describe areas general weather patterns over a long period of time, usually years. For example, when we say that Florida has a dry season, that doesn’t mean it never rains between December and April, it just rains far less. There are three large factors that can affect the climate of an area, even in certain climate zones. Those factors are latitude, elevation, and proximity to water.

How do latitude, elevation, and nearby water affect climate?

Latitude describes how far north or south of the equator a location is. Temperatures are warmest at the equator, and coldest at the poles. As location move further north or south of the equator, temperatures generally cool. Florida is cooler than the equator, and Alaska is cooler than Florida.

Elevation is a location’s height above sea level. Sea level is measured as 0 feet: standing on a beach, you might be one, two, or three feet above sea level. In Florida, elevations don’t get much above 150 feet even in the center of the state. There isn’t much difference between sea level and 150 feet above sea level. On a mountain, elevation can get to thousands of feet above sea level. Above ten thousand feet, temperatures will be much cooler than the surrounding land. Even at the equator, mountains that rise above ten thousand feet are much cooler than the areas below. Above fifteen thousand feet, temperature can fall below freezing, even at the equator. Mountains located on the equator are often high enough to have snow at the top.